Signs
by MysteryTheHedgehog
Summary: A lonely Misha pines for Shizune.


Misha was surprised to find she was the first one to arrive in the student council room that day. Usually the others got there before her. _Shicchan should be here already_, she thought to herself._ Hicchan said he couldn't make it, he had homework to do, but Shicchan should be here. _Misha shrugged it off. She was probably just telling off a student for running in the corridors...or attempting to, at any rate. It's rather hard to get your point across to someone when you're deaf-mute and they don't know sign language.

"I should probably just get on with the work!" Misha declared to no-one in particular. "Gotta look busy when Shicchan gets here, or she'll get mad~" So Misha headed onwards into the Student Council room, and got to work on the mountains of paperwork in front of them.

Shizune and Hisao - or Shicchan and Hicchan, as Misha always addressed the other student council members - had been dating for almost three months now. Misha had tried to put a positive spin on things: _Shicchan is happy, so I should be happy too_. But it was hard. Watching the girl you love fall for someone else, and then having to be with them every day...it was hard. But she couldn't let the others see it. It would ruin their happiness.

Misha was sure Shicchan would turn up fairly promptly, as always. Being late wasn't in her nature. But five, ten, fifteen minutes went by and still Misha was the only one in the room. She's been looking forward to this, ever since Hisao said he wouldn't be able to come; a whole night, all alone with Shicchan. But the time was slipping away. As she completed another page of paperwork and filed it away, she wondered aloud, "Where is Shicchan? She really should be here by now. What's keeping her?"

Misha had been in the room almost half an hour when she finally heard the door open. She turned abruptly to face the noise. "Shicchan, where have you-"

Misha stopped, not because she had remembered Shicchan was deaf and wouldn't hear the question, but because Shicchan looked incredibly upset. The eyes behind her glasses were red from crying, and the shining streaks of tears still lingered on her face. Her hand looked red, as though with blood. Misha immediately jumped to her feet, her own woes forgotten. Had something happened to Hisao?

[Shizune?] She signed. [What's the matter? What happened?]

Shizune took a few steps into the room and closed the door behind her. She hesitated for a few seconds, then ran straight and Misha and threw her arms round her, burying her face in her shoulder. She was completely silent, but the shaking of her body told Misha that she had started crying again. Taken aback, Misha nonetheless put her arms around Shizune and drew her close.

_I can feel her heartbeat_, thought Misha._ I can feel her breast against mine...this is what I've always- _Misha shook her head, pushing these thoughts and others aside._ No. She's upset. Possibly even grieving. I can't do this...not now._

Misha took Shizune by the shoulders and firmly but gently pushed her away. [Shizune.] she signed, her expression serious. [Please. You can tell me anything. What happened? Is Hisao okay? Please, Shizune, it's not like you to lose control like this.]

At this Shizune seemed to regain control of herself. [You're right], she signed back. She took a deep breath to calm herself, wiped her eyes, and adjusted her glasses. She looked more like Shicchan now. She took another deep breath or two, then began signing furiously.

[This morning, when Hisao said he couldn't help out at the student council today because of homework, I was suspicious. I know Hisao always leaves his homework to the last minute, and we don't have any homework that's due in for tomorrow. The homework we do have isn't enough to keep him occupied for an entire night, unless he majorly slacks off. Which led me to conclude it was just an excuse, so he could get away from the student council and do other things.]

[That's terrible, Shicchan!] Misha signed back. In truth, Misha didn't blame Hisao for wanting a day off student council work, which was mostly tedious paperwork, and she was also greatly relieved that Hisao seemed to be okay (if anything bad had happened to him, Shizune would have mentioned this straight away). But she couldn't exactly tell this to the upset Shizune, who then continued signing her story.

[So when classes were over today, I slipped away without you noticing and followed Hisao. As I suspected, he headed neither to the student council room, nor the student dorm to do his non-existant homework.] Shizune's face hardened. [He went to the track.]

[The track?] repeated Misha. [What was he doing there?]

[I hoped he'd be exercising.] Shizune replied. [Considering his condition, he needs to stay fit. But-] Shizune stopped suddenly, as though considering whether to continue. She seemed to have switched from sad-upset to angry-upset.

[But what?] signed Misha.

[But he was doing a different kind of exercise than what I imagined.] signed Shizune. When Misha did not catch on, she continued, [I caught Hisao and Emi going at it in the track shed.]

Misha could not help vocalizing her surprise and outrage. "Emi?! That-" Remembering Shicchan's deafness, she promptly signed, [That whore!]

[I know.] signed Shizune, with a nasty smile on her face. [And I was shocked at Emi, too. I was so mad I just-] The rest of Shizune's signing consisted of various violent motions imitating punching and strangling, as though assaulting an invisible Hisao standing in front of her. While these weren't strictly sign language, they told Misha enough; Hisao had received quite the beating. That explained the blood on her hand, and a small spatter of scarlet she now noticed on her shirt; she had no doubt broken his nose with a well-aimed punch.

[-and then I told him we were through and I never wanted to see him again.] Shizune finished, once she had finished battering the invisible Hisao.

[Good on you, Shicchan.] signed Misha, smiling sympathetically. [You deserve better than him.] While Misha's overriding desire right now was to help her friend, she couldn't help hoping, deep down, that Shizune would take the hint.

Shizune nodded, and signed in a furious flourish, [I hope his heart gives out.]

Misha was so shocked it took her a few seconds to start replying. [How could you say- er, wish such a thing, Shicchan?]

[He broke my heart.] came the blunt reply. [It's only fair.]

[Poor Shicchan.] signed Misha, trying to look as sympathetic as possible to show Shizune she wasn't being sarcastic (which she wasn't). [Don't worry. I'll always be here for you, Shicchan. I'll never let you down or betray you. I'll help your heart mend.] _Please take the hint, Shicchan._

Shizune smiled warmly. [Thank you, Misha.] she signed. [You're a good friend.]

Before Misha realized what was happening, Shizune had leaned forward and given her friend a friendly kiss on the cheek, out of gratitude. As a disbelieving Misha put her hand to the spot where Shizune's tender lips has touched her skin, her passion suddenly took hold of her. Shicchan had taken the hint. She was in love.

As if to confirm it, Shizune smiled and continued, [Maybe you were right, Misha. That day you confessed to me. We can be more than friends.]

Misha's eyes sparkled with joy. [Yes. That's all I've ever wanted. Oh, Shicchan...I love you!]

The two ran into each other's arms, and in the middle of the student council room, they shared their first tender kiss together. For both it seemed to last an age, as if time itself had stopped to witness this beautiful scene. _This is wonderful_, thought Misha,_ even more wonderful than my wildest dreams. Shicchan is such a good kisser...her lips are so warm..._

_This is better than I thought it would be_, thought Shizune. _Maybe Misha had the right idea, choosing to be a lesbian. Her kissing could use some improvement, but we can work on that._

For a moment, Shizune broke away, long enough to look into Misha's sparkling eyes while signing, [I love you too.]

"Oh, Shicchan!" exclaimed Misha, once again forgetting Shizune's deafness amid her euphoria. The two clasped hands once more, leaning towards each other to enjoy that passionate kiss once more...

**BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP -**

Misha broke away, surprised. Shizune, who of course couldn't hear the tremendous beeping that filled the whole room, looked confused. [What is it?] she signed.

Misha looked around, frantically searching out the source of the infernal beeping that had shattered their peace. [That sound...it's strange, it sounds just like my-]

* * *

Misha jerked awake. It took a few blinks to realize where she was. She was in her bed, in the dormitories. A streak of sunlight poked through the gap in the curtains, falling across the bedspread. The beeping that had woken her came from the digital alarm clock on her bedside table; the display told her it was 7:00am, the same time she always woke up.

A dream. It had all been just a dream. Hisao had not cheated on Shizune last night; instead they would no doubt have spent the night together. Again. Shizune had not confessed to Misha, and kissed her; instead, she would have told Hisao how much she loved him, and kissed him.

It was too much for Misha. She rolled over in bed and screwed up her eyes, trying to shut out the infernal beeping that continued to corkscrew into her skull, goading her over how it had shattered her happiness. She tried to hold onto the wondrous events of her dream, but the incessant beeping refused to let her relive it. In desperation she clutched the duvet against her tightly, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Oh, Shicchan," she quietly wailed, "why won't you love me? Why did you choose Hicchan over me? Oh, Shicchan..."


End file.
